Kurt Angle Says WWE Career Might Not Have Happened If Hulk Hogan's New League Existed
Kurt Angle I Might've Passed On WWE Career ... If Hogan's New Wrestling League Existed!!!
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Can you imagine a world where Kurt Angle never joined WWE?? Well, the Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports if a league like Hulk Hogan's Real American Freestyle existed back in his day ... his life might have looked drastically different!!
We caught up with the American Hero ahead of the organization's debut next month in Cleveland ... and he couldn't be more excited to join in on the fun as an analyst.
"There have been other people who have tried professional wrestling leagues before with Olympic-style wrestling, freestyle wrestling, it didn't work out," Angle said.
"But with Real American Freestyle, they signed the top wrestlers in the world, and they have the backing, the funding, to do this. So this is going to be incredible."
Angle -- who won a gold medal in wrestling during the 1996 Olympics -- said he's even a little jealous that this wasn't an option when he was an active competitor.
"This would have been my thing. You know, I don't even know if I would have crossed over into pro wrestling," Angle said. "I probably would have stuck with amateur wrestling."
MAY 2025
"I'm a little jealous, but I'm also excited to be a part of it. And whether I have to commentate, whether I can compete, doesn't matter. I just wanted to be a part of it."
Angle gets to call matches featuring some of the biggest names in wrestling ... including Bo Nickal and 2025 NCAA Heavyweight National Champion Wyatt Hendrickson.
He's also looking forward to working with Hogan and Eric Bischoff, two co-founders of the RAF.
"I worked with these guys for years," he said. "I understand their philosophies and what they bring to the table, and they bring nothing but good. They're going to be able to make this a little more entertaining than a regular amateur wrestling duel would be."
